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Unified Catalog Process Types: Case, Incident, and Service Request
The Unified Catalog app uses three distinct process types—Case, Incident, and Service Request—as anchor objects. These objects manage the variety of incoming customer and user interactions. Each object is designed to handle a specific type of service request, helping service teams to apply the correct process, priority, and resources. This structure provides a flexible architecture for service management.
Case Object
The Case object is the entity designed for managing a general issue, question, or problem reported by a customer that requires assistance. The entity functions as a flexible object for customer support: the purpose is to manage external customer support, complex product questions, complaints, and any issue that is not a predefined request or a formal incident. The customer perception for a Case is typically, I need help with a problem. The system takes case handling on a case-by-case basis and can involve multiple teams and communication.
Incident Object
The Incident object manages an unplanned interruption or degradation of service. Its purpose is for break-fix scenarios. The customer perception is distinctly, Something broke. The purpose of this object is to manage unexpected outages and restore services quickly. The workflow requires urgent triage, root cause analysis, and a critical restoration Service Level Agreement (SLA). Examples include a critical factory equipment breakdown or a major power failure in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Service Request Object
The Service Request object manages a formal request for a new or a standard change. It's designed for tasks that are high-volume, low-risk, and repeatable. The user perception is simple: I need something. Its purpose is to fulfill pre-approved actions that are often items from a service catalog. Fulfillment uses predefined steps and is automated through a catalog. Examples include a password reset, installing software, or sending an invoice.
User Assignments for Processing Service Requests
Assignment rules apply automatically to distribute Service Request records to the appropriate user or queue for fulfillment. You configure a rule that checks a service request's attributes (like category or location) against predefined criteria. The rule triggers when the Service Request is created. If a match is present, the system automatically assigns the record to the defined user or queue. Assigning the record to a queue means it remains there until a support representative takes ownership, ensuring efficient distribution of transactional tasks.
See Set Up Assignment Rules for IT Services and Create Assignment Rules for IT Services.
Routing Customer Requests
The Service Process designer first distinguishes the requestor's intent based on their interaction. According to intent, the designer can create service processes by applying the correct anchor object to handle the request.
For example, when an employee at Universal Containers makes three distinct communications. The Service Process logic makes sure that each communication is routed to a different object based on the need:
| Requestor Interaction | Intent | Applicable Process |
|---|---|---|
| An employee calls because the primary production server is inaccessible, causing a critical system outage. | Something broke | Incident: Use the Incident object to create a service process to manage the unplanned system outage and focus on rapid restoration. |
| A customer emails about a complex billing discrepancy on their last invoice that requires investigation and resolution. | I need help with a problem | Case: Use the Case object to create a service process as the flexible object for a complex problem. |
| An employee submits a self-service form to request a new permission set needed for a project. | I need something | Service Request: Use the Service Request object to create a service process to manage the repeatable fulfillment of a standard access request. |
Automated Service Request Feedback Surveys
To gather customer feedback consistently, Salesforce Surveys can be automatically deployed upon the closure of a service request. This process uses Flow Builder via a record-triggered Flow. This flow configuration monitors the service request object for status changes, such as when it’s marked as completed. The flow runs only when the record is updated to meet this specific condition, ensuring timely dispatch. Key resources are defined within the flow. These resources include variables for the Experience Site Name and the Survey ID, which direct the customer to the correct survey link. Finally, the flow uses the Send Survey Invitation action. This action emails the survey to the associated lead, contact, or user, by providing a streamlined way to capture post-service feedback. See Set Up Surveys and Build a Flow.
- Create a Service Process in Unified Catalog
Design a service process in the Unified Catalog app as the blueprint for a specific output—an item a customer can order or request. A service process defines, captures, and initiates the fulfillment process for pre-approved, repeatable, low-risk requests. After a customer submits a request, the service process ensures correct routing. The service process automatically applies Service-level Agreements (SLAs) and orchestrates the necessary fulfillment steps, leading to a quick and efficient resolution. - Service Process Templates
Unified Catalog facilitates the deployment of pre-packaged service processes, including their associated data, metadata, and dependencies. With templates, designers can quickly find, review, and deploy one or more service processes, which help to streamline implementation and avoid building service processes from scratch. The templates are listed and can be filtered in Unified Catalog based on the user’s license type. - Action Plans and Service Processes
In Unified Catalog, a Service Process defines the end-to-end journey of a request—from the time a user submits an intake form to the final resolution. Action Plans act as the operational engine of these processes, automatically generating a structured list of tasks, deadlines, and owners. By using Action Plans, you can make sure that complex requests are handled with precision, reducing manual errors and improving the speed of service delivery.
